The legs of a right triangle measure 5 centimeters and 12 centimeters. what is the length of the hypotenuse?

 13cm  ... bc ,  a^2 + b^2 = c^2 

a^2 + b^2 = c^2 (pretend the ^2 is a squared symbol) 
5^2 + 12^2 = c^2, which is... 
25 + 144 = c^2 
25 + 144 = 169 
So, 169 is c^2 (c squared). 
Now, the square root of 169 is 13. 
That means the hypotenuse is 13 cma^2 + b^2 = c^2 (pretend the ^2 is a squared symbol) 
5^2 + 12^2 = c^2, which is... 
25 + 144 = c^2 
25 + 144 = 169 
So, 169 is c^2 (c squared). 
Now, the square root of 169 is 13. 
That means the hypotenuse is 13 cm